Episode 17: Gaming, Screen time, and Autism

Chris welcomes Tracy Markle, founder and co-director of the Digital Media Treatment and Education Center (DTECH) and Collegiate Coaching Services. Tracy
brings over 30 years of mental health experience and specializes in helping individuals and families navigate digital media overuse and addiction. Together, Chris and Tracy dive into the unique challenges the autism community faces with gaming addiction and digital media overuse. Tracy explains why autistic individuals are more vulnerable to online victimization, struggle with setting boundaries in digital relationships, and face increased mental health risks like depression. She shares powerful insights on the neurological and emotional impact of excessive screen time, especially in young people. Tracy also outlines practical, actionable steps parents can take to help their children—and themselves —build healthier digital habits. This is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the role technology plays in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Links:
Digital Media Treatment and Education Center: https://digitalmediatreatment.com/
Autism Learning Lab: https://www.autismlearninglab.com/
Email: chris@autismlearninglab.com

Quotes:
[3:01-3:32] Tracy Markle: “Gaming is a problematic behavior for many people. And it's identified as an official medical diagnosis now, gaming disorder in the general field of psychology and medical professionals. So I want to note that it does give it
credibility and that is an issue that the majority of my clients that I see in practice who come in for treatment identify as being autistic and also struggle to a great deal with gaming.”

[8:00-19:20] Tracy Markle: “They'e a vulnerable population in general to being victimized online. So they're not able to have the same critical thinking abilities and to analyze that through a social context as somebody who's neurotypical. And of course, you have to look at developmental age and what have you and that matters to be able to distinguish between whether or not this is somebody I should be sending pictures to. Is this okay and what are the long-term consequences of this? So I want to identify they are a very vulnerable population and find themselves in many different between a rock and a hard place situations. The other piece that I often see them struggling with is engaging in what they believe to be intimate relationships and all or nothing kind of experience where they fall head over heels for this person. Online connection feels good enough to them, yet they're missing all the opportunities of real life interactions to learn more about what a full intimate relationship it's like. So we have to do a lot of education and talk with them about how to balance that and how to work within that realm because we know they're more comfortable there, but that doesn't mean that's better for them.”

[12:17-12:40] Tracy Markle: “But if the majority of their entertainment and connection is online, we see an increase in mental health problems. Depression in particular is one of our big risk factors for prolonged media multitasking. And again, a decrease in executive functioning abilities overall and critical thinking skills.”

[31:39-32:00] Tracy Markle: “It's a very difficult issue. I have been in the field of mental health for over 30 years. And to me, out of all the compulsive, addictive behaviors I've worked with through my career, this is one of the most problematic to overcome. Again, because it's so pervasive in our society. So there are so many great resources now that are emerging.”